


Fifty Ways To Say I Love You

by tinx_r



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-24
Updated: 2011-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-17 15:45:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/553219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinx_r/pseuds/tinx_r





	Fifty Ways To Say I Love You

**Title:** Fifty Ways To Say I Love You  
 **Rating:** R

**Fifty Ways To Say I Love You**

_#01 - Walking_  
It's a long way down the beach; they start out side by side, and when dusk falls, Nick takes Cody's hand.

 _#02 - Waltz_  
The Riptide's small, and sidestepping and slithering is a fact of life for two guys in the tight space: Nick takes the opportunity to slide his arms round Cody's chest, spin him round, hold him close while the Riptide sways beneath their feet.

 _#03 - Wishes_  
Nick can't make Cody's father a better dad, or bring Cody's grandad back to life, but he can make the rest of Cody's wishes come true... and so he does.

 _#04 - Wonder_  
Nick holds Cody for hours, watching the wonder in Cody's eyes as he slowly starts to believe, really believe, what Nick's been trying to tell him forever.

 _#05 - Worry_  
Every time they've been apart, they rush back together, checking in with word and touch, checking each other for harm.

 _#06 - Whimsy_  
Cody owns a model of every helicopter Nick has ever flown.

 _#07 - Waste/Wasteland_  
It's Nick's job to take out the trash and Cody's to clean the galley, but most nights, Nick does both while Cody sits in the dining booth, talking to Nick--or maybe himself--about long-dead fish and another time.

 _#08 - Whiskey and rum_  
They're drinking buddies, good ol' boys, just regular guys; but Nick's never so drunk that he'll leave Cody's side, and at the end of the night, they're going home together.

 _#09 - War_  
While the world went to hell around them, two soldiers found a whole new world inside each others' hearts.

 _#10 - Weddings_  
Dancing with the bridesmaids is essential, as is kissing the bride; even sitting at separate tables to help out with the seating plan; but once the speeches are over and the dancing starts, they slip away to the bar and share a different kind of toast.  
 __  
#11 - Birthday  
It's not what Nick gives him that matters, it's the way Nick does it, and the way Nick makes him feel.

 _#12 - Blessing_  
Cody broke with religion in Vietnam, but not with God: how could he, when God had given him Nick?

 _#13 - Bias_  
Nick knows he's biased, but Cody's the best-looking guy in the room: he slips up behind him and tells him so, and Cody's blush warms Nick's heart.

 _#14 - Burning_  
He burns for Cody; he thinks his touch must brand Cody's skin, sear Cody's heart; but Cody rises like a phoenix from the flame, golden, perfect, more brilliant than before.

 _#15 - Breathing_  
Nick knows the pattern of Cody's breathing so well he hears it in his sleep; without it, Nick cannot sleep at all.

 _#16 - Breaking_  
Cody knows the signs: when Nick's starting to unravel he pulls anchor and heads for deep water, and hang whatever case they're on.

 _#17 - Belief_  
Cody believes in Nick, but more than that, Nick's even taught Cody to believe in himself.

 _#18 - Balloon_  
Nick bought a balloon and a stick of cotton candy for each of them as a joke, but he saw how Cody's face lit up; halfway round the fair Cody's balloon escaped and Nick chased it two blocks before he returned, limping but triumphant.

 _#19 - Balcony_  
The hotel walls are thin, but the balcony's creeper-hung and absurdly more private; they watch the sunset then Nick wraps a blanket around them both and they stay until the stars come out.

 _#20 - Bane_  
There's a certain look in Cody's eyes that Nick would give anything to banish once and for all; he fights for Cody with everything he has, and in time he even learns to fight the fears Cody carries in his heart.

 _#21 - Quiet_  
A quiet evening aboard, filled with gentle touches and traded glances; the only words they share are ordinary; the rest is too precious to say out loud.

 _#22 - Quirks_  
Nick's loyal to a fault and he'd die for what he believes in; it's got them into trouble more than once, but Cody would never ask Nick to change--no more than he'd step away from his side.

 _#23 - Question_  
Cody knows how Nick feels--he sees it in his eyes, feels it in his touch--but sometimes he asks, anyway, just to hear Nick say the words out loud.

 _#24 - Quarrel_  
They fight--of course they do--but they've been together so long, the fights are soft and comfortable like a favorite sweater.  
 __  
#25 - Quitting  
They've been working on the Mimi for hours and Cody's ready to quit; he strips off his overalls and t-shirt, leans against the ship and waits for Nick to look up.

 _#26 - Jump_  
Cody jumps aboard the old boat, his eyes alight; Nick sees months of work in the old engine and the wooden hull, but he slaps Cody's back and his grin's sincere: if she makes Cody happy, then she's the boat for them.

 _#27 - Jester_  
The argyle socks are less a joke than an apology, but the ketchup--the ketchup is a new start.

 _#28 - Jousting_  
Jousting for position is second nature--a mating display; a test of their bond; a display of strength--and the winner takes all (but losing is winning too, when it comes to this game).

 _#29 - Jewel_  
Cody's bought uncounted presents for women in his life--jewelery, flowers, chocolates, dinner--but for Nick, he simply gives himself.

 _#30 - Just_  
Quinlan's idea of justice gets crazier every day: Nick shifts in the back of the police car, getting his shoulder behind Cody's so Cody can lean against him and ease his handcuffed arms.  
 __  
#31 - Smirk  
Cody's chatting up Tammy, pretending to himself he's getting somewhere, when he looks up and finds Nick's eyes on him, a gentle smirk on Nick's lips.

 _#32 - Sorrow_  
When Nick hurts, he's not afraid to cry: Cody's still learning to be comfortable with that, but comfortable or not, he's there for Nick, with Nick, every time.

 _#33 - Stupidity_  
Nick's not stupid and he knows the risks, but he's got one shot at getting Cody out safe, and he'll take it, no matter what the cost.

 _#34 - Serenade_  
Cody can't sing--neither can Nick--but Cody looks the part with the guitar, and Nick's happy to stretch out on the sand at his feet, watching him, waiting for the clustering beach bunnies to move on to easier prey.  
 __  
#35 - Sarcasm  
Nick's got a sarcastic tongue, but not with Cody: with Cody he's invariably gentle.

 _#36 - Sordid_  
Cody doesn't want anyone to know--he's afraid other people's judgments will cheapen what he and Nick have, label it sinful and sordid--but Nick's arm around him feels so right he forgets to worry.  
 __  
#37 - Soliloquy  
Cody hates old movies, but when they're on late at night and the lights are off, he snuggles up while Nick watches; the soliloquies nearly always make Nick cry, and when Nick is vulnerable--even because of a stupid movie--Cody stays close.

 _#38 - Sojourn_  
While Nick's at Reserves, they're limited to the briefest of phone calls, but it's enough: they don't have to spell it out, all they need is to say each others' name.

 _#39 - Share_  
Nick doesn't have enough saved to buy the old Sikorsky; Cody never wants to see another chopper again but he offers to go halves without even hesitating.

 _#40 - Solitary_  
While Cody walks the beach, Nick waits--Cody needs to do this on his own, but he isn't alone; Nick's heart goes with him.

 _#41 - Nowhere_  
On a boat, at sea, there's nowhere to run: Cody contents himself with jumping overboard, knowing Nick will follow.

 _#42 - Neutral_  
They've practiced keeping their expressions carefully neutral in public, bu try though they might, they can't keep their feelings out of their eyes.

 _#43 - Nuance_  
Cody knows every nuance of Nick's breathing, knows when sleep is close, knows when to soften his voice and slow his words; most importantly, he knows to keep Nick close with touch and voice.  
 __  
#44 - Near  
Nothing can make the nightmares stay away--they've seen too much for that--but he's near, close enough to reach out and touch; close enough to hold; and that robs the dreams of their power.

 _#45 - Natural_  
Loving Nick is as natural as breathing; it's an elemental force that Cody couldn't fight even if he wanted to; when they're together, the energy between them is vital and alive, bigger than both of them, impossible to ignore.

 _#46 - Horizon_  
Cody's got his eyes on the horizon, but Nick prefers to watch Cody's back.

 _#47 - Valiant_  
Cody's never thought of himself as brave, but when Nick looks in his eyes and tells him to jump, he jumps: he'll take on anything, as long as he doesn't let Nick down.

 _#48 - Virtuous_  
Virtue is its own reward, but the only reward Nick wants is Cody--and he's not afraid to let Cody see that.

 _#49 - Victory_  
Nick likes to win, even if it means cheating; when he set out to win Cody he used every trick in the book, and some he made up on the fly; the stakes were too high to lose.  
 __  
#50 - Defeat  
Nick hurts from flying, from fighting, from being afraid: Cody's touch takes away the pain, defeats the fear; makes Nick whole.


End file.
